Were the Middle Ages the "Dark Ages"?

No. The Middle Ages lasted from 493 C.E. to 1453 C.E., while in contrast, the Dark Ages were usually counted and are commonly called today to be The Early Middle Ages. There were large chunks of time in the Middle Ages that weren't dark. The fall of Feudalism still took place in the middle ages, and there were times when the Dark Ages weren't dark at all. With Monasticism, monks dedicated their lives to God, and were very kind and pious. They also created illuminated manuscripts, and although not many others knew how to read, the monks were there to read and write for them. Many people connect the two ages because the Dark Ages are the times that make the Middle Ages famous. The Middle Ages also had the Crusades, right at the downfall of Feudalism, the Black Plague, and the Hundred Years War, which was after the Dark Ages, and created a new sense of Nationalism in Europe, mainly Great Britain and France. Even though Feudalism and all the darkness, the years of knights in shining armor weren't always attacked by Vikings, or filled with the contamination of the Black Death. It would be unfair to call the two epochs by the same name and assume they were the same, for the differences are large and significant.